In October, Microsoft announced an initiative to ban all unofficial hardware from their systems, forcing individuals to utilize first-party controllers. Disabled individuals struggled to understand the reasoning behind this decision, and on November 12, were left with inaccessible and nonfunctioning controllers and pads. Several months later, in January, PlayStation announced the ban of the Cronus Zen under the guise of stopping cheaters. For disabled players that relied on this device to create their own accessible controller, they were left with no alternatives, even with the recent release of the Access Controller.
The disabled experience is incredibly individualistic, and even with companies like Microsoft and PlayStation creating accessible hardware and software, no controller or option will ever fully meet the needs of everyone. And by eliminating the capability to choose, these companies are contradicting their support for the disabled community. Speaking with VGBees, disabled players discuss the equipment they were using prior to the bans, the results of not having access to their hardware, and their decisions to no longer support consoles in the future.
What Disabled Players Need
Despite the overwhelming number of options and design practices in both AAA and smaller independent games, coupled with two first-party pieces of accessible hardware, the disabled experience is by no means one-dimensional. Even those with the same disability can experience vastly different symptoms or care. To assume a single device or group of options can accommodate millions of players, each with their own vastly different needs, is antithetical to the industry’s accessibility mission.
X/Twitter user ExtensiveDocumentation needs specific third-party accessibility equipment to play on their Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Due to chronic Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) in their hands and arms, they require two Brook Wingman adapters to pair 8BitDo pads to their systems. Standard controllers do not offer specific features, and without the Wingman adapters, certain genres are completely inaccessible.
“The features I use the most on my pad are the turbo functionality and the hold functionality,” they said. “Turbo enables rapid fire on a specific button when you hold it, and hold enables rapid fire on a button when you release it. This allows me to play many action games that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to. Some examples that come to mind are Cult of the Lamb, – I could hold to attack instead of mashing – and Sonic Frontiers – I used hold for the combat, – and many others.”
They also regularly rebind inputs, a feature available on both consoles, as well as establish macros for double inputs onto a single button. Since 2022, they have used Wingman adapters on their Xbox, and since the ban in November, they have yet to find a suitable replacement. Unfortunately, they are not alone with this struggle.
Streamer and accessibility consultant, Milan “Patelasaur” Patel relies on adapters to access his PS5. With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), Patel is unable to use a singular controller. Through a Titan 2 adapter connected to a Besavior U5, as well as software for voice recognition and commands, he can access his PS5 without needing to solely utilize a standard controller.
“The Titan 2’s Programming Software, Gtuner, has an option called KMG Capture, allowing me to pass through Keyboard, Mouse, and Controller,” Patel said. “I use voice commands via a software called Voice Attack which maps to Mouse and Keyboard for most of my controls. For the rest of my controls, I use a combination of a mouse, a couple of buttons on a PS4 controller, and an Xbox Adaptive Controller which are all mapped to keyboard keys using software called reWASD.”
Each restriction of hardware and software actively prevents disabled players from engaging with so many of the accessibility features that the gaming industry continues to celebrate. And with every ban, disabled individuals are forced to find new solutions or simply quit playing.
The Ban in Action
Every time a console manufacturer bans a specific piece of hardware, disabled players are ultimately affected. Some may be fortunate and only lose a specific piece, like Patel, who can still use his Titan 2 through remote play. Others may lose hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on equipment that becomes useless. Accessibility consultant and freelance journalist, Vivek Gohil is one of those players. Prior to the Cronus Zen ban, Gohil relied on the adapter, the Titan 2, and a customized DualShock 4 controller provided by SpecialEffect, a UK-based charity that provides specialized gaming equipment for physically disabled individuals. While the controller was free, the two adapters cost approximately €200.
“I was thankfully able to play Spider-Man 2 before the ban dropped,” Gohil said. “However, I’m unable to revisit the game, God of War Ragnarok or access new games like Rise of The Ronin. It’s emotionally challenging to accept that I currently have the physical abilities to continue gaming using my setup, but the console is the actual barrier. It feels like PlayStation has told me to give up gaming instead of reaching the natural stage of hand or finger muscle weakness. I haven’t been able to play PS5 games using my PS5 console since the ban, it feels like a total waste of money.”
Brian Sawyer echoes Gohil’s sentiments. Sawyer is a quadriplegic and requires equipment like the QuadStick FPS connected to a Cronus Zen. Since he lives in a remote location, the overall cost of each piece of equipment is significantly more expensive, resulting in approximately $2000 spent on a setup that no longer functions. While he acknowledges there are alternatives, he notes they are pricier than his current equipment, forcing him to abandon his PS5.
“My PS5 had an automatic update and it updated itself very early one day,” Sawyer said. “I woke up to the bad news on the QuadStick forums/Discord. I was able to use Zen for 7 months before that update. Before Zen, I used PlayStation Remote Play to play. Unfortunately, they also updated it, and it can’t be used with third-party controllers anymore. The Last of Us Part 1 and 2 have gameplay mechanics with the flashlight where you must shake the controller to recharge the flashlight. The ban took that away. Spider Man 2 and God of War Ragnarok and some games shortcuts – swiping the touchpad – are gone. Games like Astro’s Playroom that heavily rely on motion control and touch controls are not playable.”
Choice is paramount to the disabled experience. With every piece of hardware or software, disabled players can access new ways to effectively play. Each ban is detrimental to the longevity of accessibility in the gaming industry.
The Future of Console Accessibility
The accessibility initiative has existed for years, long before the reveal and release of the Xbox Adaptive Controller. As technologies and understandings of accessibility and disabled players advance, the hardware and software offerings fill the gaps between games and inaccessible barriers. Yet, each ban is a direct contradiction to studios that boldly praise accessible initiatives, especially in marketing. Phrases like “When Everybody Plays, We All Win” lose their value when disabled players can’t access the systems or games because of each ban. And for people like Sawyer, these decisions make them hesitant to support future console initiatives.
“Yes, I still can play but it’s not the same. Maybe I will be purchasing future systems if they change their attitude toward the QuadStick and different third-party controllers,” he said. “The PlayStation Access controller is an insult to quadriplegic gamers, but good for other disabled gamers. I felt like they rudely excluded us from being able to play on the PlayStation 5.”
While a device like the Access Controller may not work for quadriplegic individuals, its existence does allow other physically disabled players to finally play their PlayStation. However, one device cannot accommodate everybody’s needs. For Gohil, even with the Access Controller, he requires third-party devices. Now, he will no longer purchase systems, a common theme for many disabled individuals that need third-party hardware. Unless these bans are reversed, it’s difficult to praise the achievements of games. How can the industry celebrate the advancement of accessibility when the very players it targets cannot access these initiatives? For Gohil, it’s no longer a possibility.
“I wouldn’t purchase any future systems,” he said. “The future seems to be bleak for disabled gamers. Gaming accessibility has taken a huge step backwards. I would love to purchase future systems but the constant worry and fear about ‘Will I be able to play this?’ has stopped me from enjoying gaming. It was a huge struggle to find a way to use my setup on the PS5 this generation, so I don’t have the stamina for the next generation.”
